Monday, June 3, 2013

11-year-old hit by stray bullet left paralyzed

11-year-old Tayloni Mazyck, of Brooklyn, New York, was walking with her mother near their home in Bedford-Stuyvesant when she was struck by a stray bullet. The girl, nicknamed Tutu, was the victim of a fight between rival gang members. According to her aunt, "The bullet went into her mouth, down her throat and ricocheted through her spine. The bullet is lodged at the very bottom of her spine.She was just coming to my house to visit when this all happened. That's all. It could have been anyone." Tutu is paralyzed from the neck down. Doctors say it is too early to tell if the paralysis is permanent.
17-year-old Kane Cooper has been arrested in connection with the shooting. He has been charged with attempted murder, assault, criminal use of a firearm and reckless endangerment. According to reports, Cooper has several prior arrests, including arrests for assaulting a police officer, trespassing and weapons possession. He was out on bail on a prior gun charge when he opened fire with the 9mm handgun.

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Ohh Shoot highlights unintentional shootings. Some might refer to these as accidental shootings, but accident is too often interpreted as unavoidable. The shootings on this blog did not have to happen. Safe storage, better gun design, gun safety training are just some of the measures that could have prevented these tragedies.